ComfortDelGro Corporation Australia (CDC) is planning an extensive celebration of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture and promotion of reconciliation, with its state operations joining forces to promote NAIDOC Week 2021 from 4 to 11 July.
The company, which operates bus services in metropolitan and regional areas across the Northern Territory, Queensland, New South Wales, the Australian Capital Territory, Victoria, and taxis in Western Australia, has planned a diverse range of activities to tie in with the Heal Country theme of NAIDOC Week 2021.
According to its organisers, NAIDOC Week is an opportunity for all Australians to come together to celebrate the rich history, diverse culture, and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. This is part of the broader objective, “to recognise, protect, and maintain all aspects of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture and heritage”.
In addition to hosting events to provide its staff with memorable and educational experiences and give better recognition to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture, CDC will support these activities by sharing content internally and externally via its social media channels.
Fitting with the theme of healing, The First People of the Millewa-Mallee Aboriginal Corporation will be performing a smoking ceremony and Welcome to Country at CDC Mildura on Monday, as part of CDC Victoria’s NAIDOC Week celebrations.
CDC NSW, together with its community partner Kinchela Boys Home Aboriginal Corporation, is planning to share a pre-recorded truth-telling and healing session led by the Kinchela Uncles to all CDC operations across Australia.
CDC’s operation in the Northern Territory, Buslink NT, worked closely with Larrakia Nation on a range of leadup activities in the last week of school term including joining several Clontarf Academy schools for a pre-NAIDOC Week celebration in Darwin’s Sunset Park on 23 June. Darwin employees were also immersed in a NAIDOC Week awareness morning at Buslink’s Berrimah Depot on 25 June, where they heard important cultural messages from a Larrakia Nation elder and healer and witnessed a smoking ceremony and didgeridoo musical performances.
Across Australia, CDC depots, websites and social media channels will also feature the national NAIDOC 2021 poster or banner, as part of support for the celebration. CDC is also creating videos featuring the voices of Aboriginal employees, explaining what NAIDOC Week means to them.
ComfortDelGro Corporation Australia (CDC) CEO, Nicholas Yap, said that the company has a strong commitment to reconciliation and the recognition and celebration of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture is very important to its Australian businesses.
“In each state we operate in, we’re forming meaningful and beneficial partnerships with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisations, which allow us to use our strengths and resources to create better outcomes for our communities,” Mr Yap said.
“We are excited to see the activities planned to celebrate NAIDOC Week across all our state operations and welcome our customers, as well as partners to check in to our social media channels to keep an eye on our NAIDOC Week celebrations,” Mr Yap said.
For more information on CDC’s NAIDOC Week activities, please view our ComfortDelGro Australia (CDC) LinkedIn page or the Facebook pages of CDC Victoria, CDC NSW, CDC Queensland, Buslink NT and Swan Taxis.
